Few people can say they have covered the Raptors for the 20 years of their existence. Doug Smith is one of them. Join him for the latest from around the NBA, current events and anything else he decides to talk about.

NBA Finals: An amazing game and an interview session for the ages

Yeah, 9:10 p.m. tip, writing for web and paper until about 1 a.m., three quick ones in the hospitality suite as part of the decompression time, bed sometime around 2, sleep a bit later.

Yeah, that's why this is a bit tardy.

Anyway, that was one amazing game by the Spurs and that was just part of the fun because the post-game podium portion of the evening was one of the all-time greats.

That’s the post-game period where coaches and players – the losers quite miserable, the winners just wanting to get out of there – have to sit patiently on international TV and get grilled by whoever happens to be in the room. Generally, that’s a handful of the local guys who need quotes in an awful hurry – although a lot of the main guys who cover the league every day for newspapers are off tying to make deadline – and a few people who are from various other publications who have been accredited.

Anyway, last night turned comical and confrontational a little bit and quite exasperating for the coaches and players.

Check this out:

And now here’s another question, typed verbatim, that went to LeBron James and Dwyane Wade.

“This is for both of you. You have a great defence. They’re averaging 104 points a game. You have a great offence. You haven’t broken a hundred yet. Is the problem your lacklustre defence or is it the problems you’re having offensively, lacklustre offence.”

Now, I can’t get the exact tone of that last question but it was something akin to accusatory; as if the guy asking the question was personally affronted by the way Miami played.

I totally get that some people wearing credentials around their necks at these things are as much fans as they are reporters but there is a way to handle oneself in that kind of situation that is professional.

The job should always be to ask questions to elicit answers, not to make a statement. No one cares what we think, we need to be respectful of the men we’re asking questions of, tough if need be but always respectful. You want to get them to give you answers, not get angry and turn themselves off. No one wins in that situation, not the reader nor the viewers or listeners and they are the ones who should matter the most to us.

What I hate are the fanboys who want to make themselves part of the shown rather than dispassionate third parties. There are ways to get to the "why" that involve tact and knowing the moment and the method goes hand-in-hand with being professional and getting respect back from players and coaches as well.

You can be “hard” with the questions if need be but it’s knowing when and how to go about it that’s important.

I howl at people who tell us to “take them to task” or “hold them accountable” while having no clue to the level of tact or professionalism that’s needed.

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There were some famous people in the gym last night including this guy.

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I’m not entirely sure but I don’t think you want the guy driving the media shuttle bus from the hotel to the arena down a crowded Biscayne Bay Boulevard answering his phone a couple times, do you?

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I see the Raptors have another couple of groups in to work out today, including a couple of Canadians in Sim Bhullar and Murphy Burnatowski, neither of whom would figure into any draft plans but it’s good for them to work out at home.

I think that’s eight Canucks who’ve come through – the two biggies in Wiggins and Stauskas aren’t coming – and that’s not bad at all.

The intriguing ones, of course, were Tyler Ennis (I saw some mock draft where he fell to No. 20, checked with two NBA people I respect and they laughed at the improbability of that) and Jordan Bachynski, who they might take a long look at with the No. 37 selection.

And that alone, those sheer numbers, speak volumes to where our kids are and long gone are the days when they’d bring in a token Canadian or two just for appearances.

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So, do we bother going to Mike’s to check out the pucks tonight or not? It’s been something of a tradition at an NBA Finals where I’m always asked about where we’re going to watch the hockey simply because of the passport I hold; people are genuinely surprised when I tell them I really don’t care what’s going on unless it’s a Game 7 because I’ll watch pretty much any Game 7 you’ve got.

Besides, I know what’s going to happen.

In order to inconvenience the greatest number of players, the Rangers will win just so that everyone has to traipse across the continent for one game.

Make book on it.

We had it happen once to us and it was a total pain. I think it was the second year the New Jersey Nets were in the finals in the mid-2000s, the year they played San Antonio.

There really wasn’t a doubt about the ultimate outcome and when the Spurs went up 3-1 going into Game 5 in Jersey, we’re all dreaming about leaving our Manhattan hotel the next morning and being home in four or five hours.

Well, you know what happened: Nets win, we’re all more grumbly than you can imagine – and tired grunts at the end of a long playoff run are more grumbly than you can even imagine – as we make arrangements to fly to Texas.

And, of course, the Spurs didn’t even have the consideration to lose Game 6 and set up a Game 7; we were in the area for one off night after a long travel day and a game day.

The only good thing was we stayed at some ritzy resort on the outskirts of the city so the surroundings were nice.

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Mail?

Yeah, need lots of mail if you get a minute.

It’s over at
askdoug@thestar.ca
and I’m thinking a late afternoon period today or the morning tomorrow sitting outside puttering on it would be a good idea. Looks like it’s not going to drizzle and rain all day today like it did yesterday so help a fella out, if you don’t mind.

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